7 Canadian Mint alternatives

YNAB (pronounced "Why-Nab) may be the go-to Mint Alternative. It's been around for years, with thousands of customers in both the US and Canada, and claim "The average YNABer saves $600 in 2 months and $6,000 their first year" —pretty impressive stats.

Moving from Mint? YNAB makes it easy with comprehensive guides, live workshops, and a friendly support team to walk you through the process.

The powerful app connects to your bank account to help you quickly review your spending, savings, and more. Its ruled by its 4 core principles.

1. Give every dollar a job: Every time you get paid, assign each dollar to an available expense category until there are zero "unemployed" dollars meaning you've budgeted for expenses, savings, and "guilt-free" spending.

2. Embrace your true expenses: Think of sinking funds where you anticipate, rather than react to non-monthly large expenses (e.g. car maintenance) by breaking them down into smaller manageable chunks of monthly savings.

3. Roll with the punches: Hey, sometimes even the best budgeters have a slip. So, if you run out of money in one savings category, don't forgo the latte, just move money from another category (say, "clothing" this month) and avoid the shame or guilt. Spend how you want (or decice not to).

4. Age your money: Thanks to the first 3 rules, you'll know where and how you're spending and will naturally start spending less eventually paying bills with money you earned 30 days ago. You can use that money to start your investment journey.

However, while there is a free 34-day trial period, there is a monthly fee of $14.99 USD or $99 USD for the year. So it's a pricey meatball, but if you can stomach the annual fee, the money you'll earn back (and the education you'll get) is well worth the investment in yourself.

PocketSmith is a budgeting app that helps you make smarter financial decisions and provides you with a better overall overview of your finances. There’s a free version as well as a premium/super paid version. Similar to Mint, the app has built-in notifications to help keep your spending in check.

The app also uses a calendar to keep track of your expenses, differentiating between one-time and recurring expenses. The paid versions have fewer ads and there is better customer service available.

Start your PocketSmith subscription now! Use our Money.ca link and get 50% off a monthly Premium subscription for the first two months.

Monarch Money emerges as a robust personal finance management tool, particularly appealing for those seeking an all-encompassing platform to consolidate their financial data. It distinguishes itself with the ability to connect with over 11,200 financial institutions, allowing users to seamlessly integrate various bank accounts, brokerage accounts, assets and liabilities. Its dashboard offers a sleek interface, providing a comprehensive snapshot of one's finances, including a net worth tracker that syncs with services like Zillow for real estate values and Coinbase for cryptocurrency holdings.

The platform shines with its budgeting tools, financial planning and goal-setting features. Users can create custom categories for expenses, set up transaction rules for automatic categorization and utilize scenario-testing tools to forecast the impact of spending habits on financial goals. Monarch Money also includes an investment tracker, although it's limited to Coinbase for crypto assets, which may be a drawback for diversified crypto investors.

Despite its strengths, Monarch Money isn't without limitations. The free plan is basic, lacking investment tracking and the platform doesn’t support bill payments or money movement, as it operates on read-only data. For full feature access, including unlimited bank connections and investment tracking, users must opt for the premium plan, which costs between $7.50 and $9.99 per month.

In terms of security, Monarch Money employs stringent measures, using read-only data and offering multi-factor authentication to protect users' information. While it stands out for its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface, those looking for free alternatives or more advanced crypto tracking might consider other options. However, for individuals seeking a Mint.com alternative before its shutdown, Monarch Money offers a compelling blend of functionality and ease of use, making it a worthy candidate for managing personal finances.

Read our full Monarch Money Review

KOHO offers a more comprehensive suite than Mint. At its core, it’s a reloadable Mastercard® that you can use to earn cash back on everyday purchases. It also has a handy app that lets you keep track of your finances in actual time. Essentially, KOHO lets you spend, budget, save, and earn cash back while receiving other perks that come standard with the pre-paid card you choose. It has a free version, KOHO Easy, like many others on this list, but the perks kick up a notch in the paid versions.

Sign up and get a $20 instant cash bonus (once you load your account and make your no minimum first purchase within 30 days) right to your KOHO account with MONEY referral code.

I’ve been a satisfied Tangerine client (formerly ING Direct) for over 20 years. While the Mint app is mainly a budgeting app, the Tangerine app is so much more.

As mentioned, Mint is a bit lacking in the visual department, an area where the Tangerine app shines. I really like how the interface is clean and easy to use. When I login I’m greeted by a screen that says what I have and what I owe. It’s nice and simple.

The Tangerine app helps you track where your money is going. There’s a pie chart that categorizes your spending, so you don’t have to.

Wally is the world’s first AI-powered personal finance app. In other way, Wally is a lot like Mint. It allows you to sync all of your accounts and automatically tracks them in one convenient place. You’re able to track your account balances in real time. It’s also free like Mint.

Wally’s premium account, known as Wally Gold sends repeat notification which help ensure you never miss a bill payment. Advanced filtering also lets you review your budget with a fine tooth comb, in a lot more detail than you would be able to with Mint.

Wealthsimple isn’t a budgeting app, per se. It’s an investing app. If you were hoping to replace Mint with an app, this isn’t it. That being said, Wealthsimple does something really well – it helps you better manage your investments.

The Wealthsimple app aims to bring everything you love about the Wealthsimple desktop experience to your mobile device. Through the app you can build an investment portfolio in less than five minutes. With features like automated deposits and portfolio rebalancing, you’re can better keep track of your investing goals.

Apply here and get a $25 cash bonus when you open and fund a new Wealthsimple account with a $500 minimum initial deposit.